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Washington Capitals' Gravy Boat Giveaway is Promo Gold

The Washington Capitals will be doing their bit to moisten overcooked turkeys this Thanksgiving courtesy of an uncanny promotional product.

Fans attending the NHL team’s Nov. 22 game against the Ottawa Senators will receive a gravy boat in the form of a mini ice resurfacer. "Ice resurfacer" is the generic term for what fans typically call a "Zamboni" – the man-driven machine that comes out between periods in hockey games to smooth the ice. (To be a true Zamboni, the resurfacer has to be made by the Zamboni Company, but we digress.)

To the gravy boat at hand:

Fans willing to pay for theme night packages (starting at $69) on Nov. 22 will receive the unique piece of branded dinnerware just in time to grace their Turkey Day tables the next day with a showing of team pride that is sure to irk visiting family members who do evil things like root for the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers.

As a hockey fan, you have to love a clever one-upper like that, eh hoser? Just think of watching your Penguins-loving cousin having to decide between conceding to use the Capitals gravy boat or trying to scarf down grandma’s dry turkey without the gravy’s lubricating assistance. It’s schadenfreude as delectable as apple pie.

As a promotional initiative, the Capitals are scoring big with the gravy boat, which is being presented by Walmart. After all, it’s unique, memorable, timely, useful, and genuinely expressive of the brand – all elements of a winning promotion.

In fact, the Capitals seem to have a knack for successful game day promos. This year, other branded products fans will receive with purchases of theme night packages include a puck-shaped bottle opener and a nifty Capitals ice scraper that features the shaft of a hockey stick that ends in an ice skate at the scraping edge.

Taco Bell, Forever 21 Launch Joint Fashion Line

Promotional clothing lines are a serious marketing opportunity for
brands. Need proof? Consider the latest iteration that was unveiled this
week in California.

Fast fashion retail chain Forever 21 and
fast food chain Taco Bell have teamed up to launch the limited-edition
Forever 21 x Taco Bell Collection, which officially hit the apparel
retailer’s website and select brick-and-mortar stores this week. It
debuted at a fashion show in Los Angeles on Tuesday and was announced on
Taco Bell’s Instagram with the hashtag #F21xTacoBell.

Among the apparel pickings
are cropped hoodies with the food chain’s iconic bell logo, graphic
T-shirts, shiny metallic anorak jackets, and even colorful bodysuits
that mimic Taco Bell’s hot sauce packets, featuring slogans like “Fire!
Don’t Wait Up.” There are also youth T-shirt, hoodie and jacket options,
along with iPhone cases. The men’s styles (including an anorak jacket
with major color-blocking) are already sold out.

Taco Bell says the unconventional offerings
are a serious part of its marketing strategy, which has focused on
social media and millennial-centric branding in recent years.

“We really took pains to make this a
legitimate collection that is relevant and fun and modern,” Marisa
Thalberg, Taco Bell’s CMO, said in a statement. “We’ve seen our fans get
individually creative in expressing their love for Taco Bell through
fashion, and we believe this collection with Forever 21 is going to be
everything they would expect from us in extending the Taco Bell
lifestyle to fashion: original, affordable, creative, a little quirky
and definitely fun.”

Taco Bell, which operates 7,000 locations across the U.S., is no
stranger to branded merch. At the food chain’s online Taco Shop, fans
can shop graphic T-shirts, hoodies, jewelry, notebooks, pencils and
phone cases. One of its first forays into the fashion world was in 2014,
through a partnership with Los Angeles-based streetwear brand The
Hundreds to offer custom socks. And in 2016, Taco Bell opened a brick-and-mortar Taco Shop in Las Vegas, which sells apparel, towels, bikinis and swim trunks, caps, tie-dyed T-shirts, taco-shaped pillows and more.

In general, fast food fashion and branded merchandise are having a
moment. Pizza Hut, owned by Taco Bell parent company Yum Brands,
released a Hut Swag line in 2016,
featuring items like snapback caps and T-shirts with slogans, such as
“My Pizza My Life.” Another Yum brand, KFC opened the KFC Ltd. ecommerce store
earlier this year, offering sweatshirts, T-shirts, socks, jewelry,
scarves, lapel pins and pillowcases. And this summer, McDonald’s
unveiled a playful Big Mac collection featuring pajamas and pillows, among other items.

Additionally, it seems tacos in particular have major branding power. The Fresno Grizzlies, a minor league baseball team, rechristen the team as the Tacos
once a week during the season, with special Taco-emblazoned jerseys and
caps. The name originated from Californians’ long-time affinity for
taco trucks. “It definitely targets a younger crowd,” Sam Hansen,
director of marketing for the Fresno Grizzlies, told Advantages magazine
earlier this year. “Or at least that was the intention – I’ve noticed a
lot of older people starting to wear Tacos jerseys and hats.”

WrestleMania Promos Take Over Orlando

A week of magic and mayhem has ended as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) presented WrestleMania 33 – professional wrestling’s annual promo-filled Super Bowl inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. And, Counselor was on the scene to see all of the promotions that sponsors and hosts were running.

An all-time Orlando Citrus Bowl attendance record of 75,245 fans from 50 states and 62 countries made the pilgrimage to witness their favorite athletes clash at the nearly seven-hour event.WrestleMania 33 gained a record 18 million social media fan engagements, up 66% from last year. Digital and social media video views reached 133 million, skyrocketing 105% from 2016. For the first time, WrestleMania was made available in China on a pay-per-view basis via PPTV’s digital platform.

“WrestleMania made a triumphant return to Orlando and again broke multiple records,” said WWE Executive Vice President of SpecialEventsJohn Saboor in a press release. “This success would not have been possible without the tireless support of Mayor Dyer, the Local Organizing Committee and all of the public and private sector partners throughout Central Florida.”

WrestleMania 33 grossed $14.5 million in revenue, down from the company’s record $17.3 million for last year’s event. It also generated an estimated $125 million in economic impact for the Central Florida area. That’s why each year cities bid on hosting the pop culture extravaganza – New Orleans has been chosen over Philadelphia and Minneapolis to hold WrestleMania 34 next year as part of the city’s tricentennial celebration.

"WrestleMania Week was a tremendous success for the city of Orlando and it was an honor to host WWE and their fans back in our community," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. "This is a testament to the investments we've made in our community venues that continue to attract these showcase events and solidify Orlando as the nation's leading sports and entertainment destination." Orlando is home to many WWE operations including its developmental brand NXT and its training facility the WWE Performance Center.

As soon as fans arrived at Orlando International Airport, they were greeted by WrestleMania signs at baggage claim and rental car stations. The streets of downtown Orlando were plastered in WrestleMania banners showcasing top stars such as Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. There was even a 30-foot-wide, 12-foot-high championship belt replica on display at Lake Eola.

Throughout the week, fans mobbed the Orange County Convention Centerin Orlando for WrestleMania Axxess, an annual fan fest with autograph signings, exhibits and merchandise. Attendees scooped up hats, shirts, wrist bands, posters, foam hands, and inflatable Bailey buddies, all emblazoned with the WrestleMania and WWE logos. Snickers sponsored the event for the second straight year, giving out free candy bars and sharing clips through social media and YouTube. During the WrestleMania broadcast, an ad featured WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair and WWE Superstars Charlotte and James Ellsworth as part of the “You’re Not You When You're Hungry" campaign.